Around 500 elite fighters from the National Capital Region are expected to vie for honors in the 2018 SMART Metro Manila Open Taekwondo Championships on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Olympic format and weight categories will be used in the six-division, kyorugi (free sparring) event – Senior (men and women), Junior (men and women), and Cadet (boys and girls).
By staging the first Metro Manila Open competition, the Philippine Taekwondo Association hopes to develop future taekwondo Olympians.
According to PTA Secretary General and Makati Congressman Monsour del Rosario, participants include varsity jins from different schools, colleges and universities and members of the senior and junior training pools affiliated with PTA in Metro Manila.
Competition in the tough tournament sponsored by Meralco, PLDT, MVP Sports Foundation, Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee will start at 9 a.m. but the opening ceremony will be held at 1 p.m.
Martial arts enthusiasts and sports buffs specially children who are interested to learn taekwondo are invited to watch the one-day event.